Sometimes, it’s the little things that make a big difference: like parking a large drill rig for a month to let a batch of Robin eggs hatch.
That’s exactly what happened at Gahcho Kué Mine when a Robin’s nest was discovered inside the housing of a drill rig motor at the Northwest Territories diamond mine.
The piece of equipment which was integral to construction activities on site and had been parked long enough for the Robin to make a nest and lay her eggs (inset in photo above).
Adhering to the mine’s wildlife procedures and the Migratory Birds Convention Act (MBCA), the operator called in the Environment department upon discovering the nest during a pre-operative check.
“We have a commitment to legal compliance and Zero Harm at all of our operations. After reporting the nest to Environment Canada, the Mining and Environment Departments made the decision to tag out and cordon off the piece of equipment so the nest wouldn’t be disturbed,” said Patrick Kramers, Environmental Superintendent at the mine.
The equipment was cordoned off with reflective tape and a sign stating it was a nesting area and that it was not to be disturbed. The equipment was out of service for five weeks, long enough for the eggs to hatch and the fledglings to leave the nest.
Monitoring of the nest for progress continued until the birds were gone, after which the drill rig was cleaned and put back into use.
This isn’t the first time De Beers has taken steps to halt or modify operations to accommodate nesting birds. In 2015, the discovery of a Herring Gull nest halted the construction of a dyke critical to dewatering activities at Gahcho Kué, and in 2012, operations inside the Victor Mine pit were modified to let swallows nesting in a portion of the pit wall hatch that year’s young.